Life preserver



March 5, 1929. ,1, MURFHY 1,704,368

17:10:85 Mar Mg ATToRN Y Patented Mar. 5,- 19291 JAMES MURPHY, OESEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

LIFE PItESERVER.

Application filed June 16,

This invention relates to improvements in life prescrvers, more particularly of the sleeveless garment type, and aims primarily to provide a life preserver the buoyancy of which may be rapidly and readily adjusted and selectively regulated to support any weight of wearer; which is especially designed and particularly adaptable to serve and function as life saving equipment on ships; which may be advantageously and effectively employed by a child or adult while learning to swim; which may be quickly put on. and similarly removed; which is not bulky or cumbersome when worn; which snugly fits and conforms to the shape of the body; which is flexible and pliable in use allowing the wearer complete freedom of movement; and which may be folded or rolled into a compact bundle when not in use for storage in'any readily accessible space where it may be available for emergency purposes. a

Contemplated by the present invention is a life preserver embodying a sleeveless garment; means for detachably securing the same upon the wearer; a plurality of vertically disposed elongated flexible unitsorstrips secured to the bac-kand front of said garment in spaced parallel relation having a series of transversely disposed compartments or pockets formed in uniform spaced parallel'relation therein; 1nd1v1dual water-tight buoyant casings or air chambers sewn into said compartments or removably inserted within such pockets; and means to retain said casings within said pockets; all of which are i'mportantfeatures and objects of the invention and are to be correlated in the broad aim of en-' hancing the efficiency of the apparatus for general use.

The above, and additional objects which will hereinafter be more specificallytrea-ted are attained by such means as areshown in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more clearly pointed out'in the claims, which are appended hereto, and form part of this ap plication. 4

With reference to the drawings,,1n which there illustrated several embodiments of the invention, and throughout the several views of which like characters of reference designate similar parts:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a life pre- 1927. Serial Ne. 199,182.

server comprehended by the present invention, as it would appear when in use.

R g. 2 1s a rear elevation of thesame.

3 1s a front elevation of a bathing suit hav ngthe flexible buoyant units fabricated in accordance with the invention attached thereto.

7-7 of Fig. 5.

Beginning the more detailed description of the invention by reference to the drawmgs, the numeral 8 designates a sleeveless garment, formed of any suitable fabric, such as canvas, water-proofed material, or the like, to the front and rear portions of which are secured in spaced parallel relation vertically disposed elongated flexible buoyant units 9 preferably fabricated from the same material, as the correlated garment thereof, each of which comprises a straight back strip IQ and a front strip 11 stitched or otherwise suitably secured to said back strip and fashioned to provide a series of enclosed compartments 12 or a series of pockets 13 open at one end thereof and'closed upon occasion by snap flaps 14, wherein watertight buoyant casings or air chambers 15 are disposed, which latter are preferably constructed from a relatively light metal, such as aluminum, in the form of cylinders exteriorly coated with a shellac, asphaltum or pitch lacquer to prevent interior sweating. In practice, each of the cylindrical water-tight buoyant casings 15 is preferably provided with concavo-convex ends 16 and 17, respectively, the end 16 being formed integrally with the casing, while the end 17 is soldered or brazed thereto, as more clearly shown in Fig. 7.

The buoyant casings 15 are permanently sewn into the compartments 12, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, while such casings are removably inserted within the pockets 13 for the purpose of varying the buoyancy of the unit; or life preserver, 5 id casings being positively retained within the pockets 13 against 'accidental dislodgement or displacement by the snap flaps 14. It will. be

apparent and obvious from the foregoing and by referring to the accompanying draw ing's that the provision of the pockets 13 permit of the rapid and read increase or decrease ofthe buoyancy of tlC correlated unit thereof, to thus render the latter adaptable or capable of supporting any selected weight of wearer. It is to be understood that the flexible buoyant units 9 may be fabricated with compartments 12 exclusively, with pockets 13 exclusively, or w th some or both as desired and found convenient. In this connection I also desire to state, that while I have herein shown and described the individual buoyant casings 15 as of circular cross-section, it is to be under stood that such casings may be square, rectangular, elliptical or semi-circular in crosssection, as desired, and may be of any cross sectional area or length to provide the required buoyancy.

Actual experience has demonstrated that -while the volume or capacity of the casings or air chambers 15 may vary between two to six cubic inches, the best results when flexibilit and cumbcrsomencss otthe c rrelated uoyant unit was considered have been obtained from the casings or chambers having a volume or capacity of approximately three cubic inches, say a casing one inch and one quarter in diameter and three inches long. it has also been found, after extensive tests and exhaustive experiments that a series of casings 15 having a combined or aggregate volume of one hundred cubic inches is ample and sufficient to buoy up or support an adult weighing approximately one hundred and sixty pounds.

The sleeveless garment 7 may be open in the front or at the side,as desired, and is provided with tapbslS, which are tied togethcr in an obvious manner to secure the -garment in operative position upon the wearer. A belt it) passing through loops 20 formed upon the lower end or edge of the gl'u'uu-nt 7 serves and functions thereat to positively retain sucli lower end in proper position or place, at :i'point slightly above the'hips oi the"'Wo:m-.r, and prevents creeping or upward limvi-n'lcllt. of the garment while in use, as will be inunilest undapparent. v

[n 'l igs. 3i and 4 the num ral 2! designates a swimming suit, of \YLll'h'HU-WH form, to which are secured the flexible buoyant units 9 of the invention, l'or supporting beginners 1 pupils while learning to swim giving the same confidence in the wab-r and minimizing the, tear of sinking, so that such beginners may derole their entire and undivided attcntion to l arning the various swimming strokes-mid are thereby nmterially aided in more rapidly and ell'ectively becoming accomplished swimmers.

By fabricating the flexible buoyant units 9 in the manner herein set forth, such units may be securely attached to or incorporated in the garment 7 or the bathing suit 21, \VllllUillC same are being manufactured, or Such units may be sold separately or individually for attachment by the purchaser to any garment or suit. Furtheiy'by providing cylindrical casings 15 of suitable size and. transversely disposing same in uniform spaced parallel relation within their correlated units 9 and subsequently attaching such units to the selected garment or suit in vertically disposed spaced parallel relation upon the front and back thereof, as herein shown, it will be obvious, that an extremely flexible apparatus'snugly fitting and conforming to the shape of the wearers body is provided, that is not cumbersome, and that will. readily ermit of free bending or flexing of the body, Where heretofore the life preservers in general use were rigid, bulky and unwicldly, and when in use positively prevented free body movements of the wearer.

Manifestly,therefore, the apparatus of the.

'invention is extremely simple in construction, IIICXPOIISIVQ to manufacture, convenient, I

durable, efiicicnt and reliable in use, and in the event of fracture or rupture of any of the buoyant casings or air chambers 15thereof, the remaining undamaged casings will be sullicient to furnish the necessary buoyancy to properly support the wearer.

While I have herein shown and described the invention with suflicient detail to enable those skilled in the art to understand the mode of construction and the principles involvc'd, it is to 'be understood that there is no intentional limitation herein to the specitic form and precise details of construction herein disclosed, except as expresslydefined by the appended claims, and that Various modification of said construction may beresorted to without departing from the invention, or the benefits derivable therefrom. I also desire to have it understood that certain features of the invention herein disclosed may be employed in other combinations than those shown and described.

llaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i 1. A flexible life preserver comprising a garment, nut-ans for detachably securing the same upon the wearer, a series ofvertlcally disposed flexible strips secured to the'front and rear of said garment in spaced parallel relation thereon, said strips having av series of transversely (llHiJOSOtl I compartments formed therein and a series of similarly disposed pockets formed therein, individual water-tight cylindrical air containers permanently sewn within said compartments and similar containers removably seated within said pockets, and means to retam said last named containers within their correlated pockets.

2. In combination with a garment, of-aflexible bouyant unit comprising a strip of flexible material having a series of transversely disposed compartments formed therein and a series of similarly disposed pockets formed therein, individual water-tight cylindrical air cnntainers permanently Sewn within said compartments and similar containers removably seated within said pockets, and means to retain said last named containers within their correlated pockets.

3. A flexible life reserver comprising a garment, a vertica y disposed relatively long flexible strip centrall secured to said garment having a series 0 transversely disposed compartments formed therein, indi vidual water-tight cylindrical containers permanently sewn within said compartments, vertically disposed relatively short flexible strips secured to said garment upon each side of said first-named strip in spaced parallel relation thereto havin a serles of transversel disposed pockets ormed therein, individ ual water tight cylindrical air containers removably seated within said pockets, and means to retain said last named containers within their correlated pockets.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature.

JAMES MURPHY. 

